For Cornell quarterback Jeff Mathews, the fight to gain attention in NFL circles can be demonstrated by looking at the difference between his pro day and the one for the most talked about quarterback in the 2014 NFL Draft, Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel.

Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush, even made a cameo appearance.

The day before on March 26, Mathews' pro day took place on a frigid Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca before a handful of NFL personnel.

"I think it topped out at about 15 degrees that day," Mathews joked in a recent conversation.

But working out in the cold is something that fits the way Jeff Mathews has played football since taking over as the starter in his freshman year at Cornell.

The former star quarterback at Camarillo High School in California, who was not offered a scholarship out of high school, has always been willing to go the extra step to prove himself.

"There was never really a question for us," Mathews said. "I wanted to have my pro day at Cornell and I wanted to throw outside. The cold weather, wind or anything like that wasn't really going to deter us. That is the way football is played."

Mathews may not have the media throng watching his every move like Manziel, but the numbers he piled up at Cornell may speak loud enough.

Mathews finished his career as the Ivy League's all-time leading passer with 11,284 yards and 72 touchdowns. He holds 45 school and 17 Ivy League records.

His frigid pro day may have attracted a scattering of scouts from teams like the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders, but scouts from nearly every NFL team have made their way to Ithaca to speak with Cornell head coach David Archer.

Mathews earned invitations to the East-West Shrine Game, the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and was one of 19 quarterbacks at the NFL combine.

Mathews worked with former NFL quarterback Chris Simms at the Parisi Speed School in New Jersey through the draft process.

"I really will be shocked if he doesn’t get drafted somewhere on the third day,” Simms told the New York Post. “They’ll be getting a big, strong-armed, pocket-passing quarterback. I don’t think there’s a more valuable commodity in the NFL despite the love affair with athletic quarterbacks. At the end of the day, it’s about being in the pocket and making plays in the pocket and throwing the ball down the field.”

The scouting report on Mathews is that he has good size (6-4, 223 pounds) has NFL arm strength, is a smart player (Mathews was recently named one of 16 NFF award winners) and has a strong work ethic. His perceived downside is a lack of mobility and that his footwork needs to improve drastically to make it at the NFL level.

"I think I have shown I have a strong arm," Mathews said. "Strong enough to make all the throws at the next level. I think I understand the game at a high level. I think there are a lot of intangibles I bring that you aren't going to see on paper in terms of work ethic and leadership."

"I have been working hard on my footwork," Mathews said. " It has been a focus of mine. Wherever I get to go to (an NFL) camp, I think I am going to surprise them with where I am compared to where they think I am."

He is projected to go anywhere from the fifth round to undrafted. But you won't catch Mathews looking at Mel Kiper, Jr's latest mock draft.

"I didn't really read too much into anything," I don't read any draft articles online or get into any of that stuff. There is way too much hearsay out there. I just focused on getting better. I think I did."

Mathews knows that coming out of the Ivy League, which isn't exactly a factory for NFL prospects, is a stigma he will have to overcome.

"It is more the media side of it, honestly," Mathews said.

"I think the (NFL) scouts have a decent idea of what the Ivy League can produce in terms of football. It's more the media that beats you up a little bit for coming out of a small school. But it's fair in a way. I didn't come out of a SEC school or a Pac-12 school. There is always questions that will be asked. The only thing I can do is go out and, when I get an opportunity, make the most of it. I understand there is a perception of 'hey, the kid is from the Ivy League, they don't play big time opponents, it's not this or that.'

"At the end of the day, I just want an opportunity to show what I can do."